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Bucs finish up draft with role players you’ve barely heard of

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The Tampa Bay Bucs finished up their work in the NFL draft, evidently looking for backups and special team players.

The Bucs picked up Ryan Smith of North Carolina Central, who will compete for playing time at nickel back, in the fourth round.

They picked up tackle Caleb Benenock of UCLA in the fifth.

In the sixth, they drafted Oklahoma linebacker and Northwestern fullback Dan Vitale in the depth part of the draft.

Smith is the fourth cornerback the team has acquired since the off-season began, two in free agency and two in the draft. Benenock has a shot to grow into the team’s right tackle.

Bond seems as if he will be a special teamer, but the Bucs seem set at linebacker.Vitale has a chance to be a blocking fullback.

 

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Gary Shelton is one of the most recognized and honored sportswriters in the history of the state. He has won the APSE's national columnist of the year twice and finished in the top 10 eight times. He was named the Florida Sportswriter of the Year six times. Gary joined SaintPetersBlog in the spring, helping to bring a sports presence to the website. Over his time in sports writing, Gary has covered 29 Super Bowls, 10 Olympics, Final Fours, Masters, Wimbledons and college national championships. He was there when the Bucs won a Super Bowl, when the Lightning won a Stanley Cup and when the Rays went to a World Series. He has seen Florida, FSU and Miami all win national championships, and he covered Bear Bryant, Bobby Bowden and Don Shula along the way. He and his wife Janet have four children: Eric, Kevin, K.C. and Tori. To contact, visit [email protected].

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